Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis received court approval on Monday for a special purpose grand jury to assist in a case involving former President Donald Trump.
A group of judges on Fulton County’s Superior Court approved her request and will authorize a special grand jury starting in May for her investigation into whether Trump or his allies broke state laws in the aftermath of the 2020 election.
“The special purpose grand jury shall be authorized to investigate any and all facts and circumstances relating directly or indirectly to alleged violations of the laws of the State of Georgia as set forth in the request of the District Attorney,” Chief Judge Christopher Brasher said in a letter obtained by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Willis wrote a letter to the court last Thursday requesting a special grand jury be impaneled to compel witness testimony because key witnesses refused to cooperate with her investigation. She cited Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger as an example of a witness who declined to cooperate fully unless he was issued a subpoena.
FULTON COUNTY DA REQUEST SPECIAL GRAND JURY IN TRUMP CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION
Willis began her investigation last February a few weeks after the Washington Post published audio of a phone call in which Trump asked Raffensperger to “find” 11,780 votes in the state — enough votes to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia, a state won by President Joe Biden. In addition to the phone call, she also confirmed to the Associated Press that her office is investigating a phone call Sen. Lindsey Graham had with Raffensperger in November 2020, the resignation of the U.S. attorney in Atlanta on Jan. 4, 2021, and false claims Rudy Giuliani made to the Georgia Senate.
The special grand jury will begin its work on May 2 and will last no longer than a year, according to court documents. Its purpose is to assist in the investigation, and it will not have the power to issue an indictment. Judge Robert McBurney will supervise the special grand jury.
The district attorney has already reportedly interviewed multiple witnesses in the investigation. Willis told the Associated Press she expects her office will reach a decision about whether it will pursue criminal charges against Trump or his allies in the first half of 2022.
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Trump responded to reports Willis requested a special grand jury in a statement. He argued that his phone call with Raffensperger was “perfect” and that Willis should be investigating the “large-scale voter fraud that took place in Georgia.”
